Mantel's Scoop

January 2015

Mantel's Scoop

January 2015

Introducing our Student Teacher Ms. Martin

Hello! My name is Sarah Martin and I am a senior elementary education student at Wingate University. It is my pleasure to be completing my 10 week student teaching requirement in Ms. Mantel’s class. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know your children and help facilitate their learning. I just wanted to briefly introduce myself and say that I am looking forward to meeting you all at some point. Your children have all been so welcoming to me and all I can say is life is good in Ms. Mantel’s fourth grade classroom!

Sincerely,

Sarah Martin

Egg Drop in STEMS class

The students have been hard at work on a new challenge in STEMS class. They were to design and construct a contraption that would protect a raw egg from a high drop. In groups they worked on their projects then one student stood on the table and dropped each contraption, so it was fair. The students analyzed the egg after the drop, some had a rough drop and other survived nicely. This was a a great project and the designs were amazing. This is a very inventive group!

Science Experiment - Fat Test

We have begun our Food and Nutrition Unit in Science, we have been learning about about the food groups, nutrients they provide, and what they can do for our bodies. Our first experiment, we tested everyday food items. For this experiment we use brown paper which absorbs fat and grease, we placed a circle on the paper and spread the food item inside the circle. We made our predictions on if the fat would stay in the circle or spread outside the circle. The students used a Google Doc to compile their observations. The items sat overnight and we concluded our experiment the next day noting which foods contained the most fat. The students then ranked the food items in order. This was an eye opener into some foods we didn't think had that much fat! Yuck!

Next Units

Reading - We will be starting our next unit on Social Issues, this will be a book club focus, where the students will be placed in book clubs. Here the students will learn how to manage and run a successful book club. The books will all center around social issues, issues that we face in the real world. This is an exciting unit that they students will thoroughly enjoy.

Math - We have recently started our unit in Fractions, this will build on their knowledge from third grade. We will cover many, many skills during this unit. Adding and subtracting, comparing, find equivalent, plotting on a number line, mixed and improper fractions. Lots to cover and we will be applying it to Real World skills when possible. Have your children help you cook at home, using measuring cups to practice reading and applying fractions.